Cranberry Township, PA.-based Westinghouse said its state-of-the-art eVinci Advanced Logic System (ALS v2) has received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The instrumentation and control platform received a Final Safety Evaluation Report on two topical reports, the company said. These groundbreaking approvals will make the eVinci microreactor the first and only microreactor with an NRC-approved I&C system, which, the company said, opens a pathway to autonomous operations.
“NRC approval of these first topical reports for the state-of-the-art eVinci control system is a major licensing milestone,” Jon Ball, president of eVinci Technologies at Westinghouse, said. “This will advance our future goal of autonomous operation, as the eVinci control system minimizes operator input, even during operations like load-following.”
ALS v2 is a universal, logic-based platform that controls safety-critical systems using hardware instead of software or a computer chip. The new approach to microreactor operation minimizes the need for operator oversight and allows for more automation and greater safety, the company said. The approvals allows the ALS v2 system to be used by any reactor currently in the U.S. fleet.
Officials said the eVinci microreactor is the result of decades of innovation to bring carbon-free, safe and scalable energy to wherever it is needed. The microreactors can be used in a variety of applications, including electricity and heating for data center, use in the oil and gas industry, mining operations, remote communities, universities, industrial centers and defense facilities. With few moving parts, the microreactor works as a battery and provides versatility for power systems ranging from several kilowatts to 5 megawatts of electricity, delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week for more than eight years without refueling, the company said.